Micki Rae Imagery

I’m catching up after a quick trip to Springfield for my coaching group’s fall conference! Kinda silly that I’ve lived in Illinois for 28 years and never visited the capitol but I’m glad I made it down there for this event.

I’m feeling super inspired, driven, and overall so grateful for education and community. Shout out to all the others who are supporting each other and showing up for themselves in their business by being part of this group. And shoutout to the queen Sarah Petty - Photography Business Mentor - the most fun, genuine, knowledgeable mentor I could ever ask for!

World Su***de Prevention Day has me thinking about the impact of representation, acceptance, and celebration when it comes to supporting the q***r community in particular. We know that members of the q***r/trans community are more likely to consider or attempt su***de than the rest of the population and it guts me to think about, because q***r people are nothing short of a gift to this world.

I know that su***de prevention is bigger than any one of us and our individual behaviors. It involves systemic intervention, like access to healthcare, housing equity, s*x education, de-stigmatizing mental health and treatment modalities, etc. But as a former kid who grappled with suicidal thoughts and self harmful behaviors, who grew up to have a big, beautiful life for which I am so grateful - I feel very strongly about what it can do for our sense of self and belonging in the world to be represented, celebrated, and encouraged to be creative. And how sometimes, that makes a big difference in the choice of whether or not to stick around to see the sun rise again tomorrow. Not every kid who felt and behaved the way I did as a teen got to make it this far, so I feel I owe a lot to the others I see pieces of myself in.

From q***r couples to q***r kids to q***r parents to q***r artists and beyond - I am so glad you are here and endlessly grateful to get to celebrate you the way that portrait photography allows me to. Keep blooming, my friends 🌷💛

Listen up y’all - The time to book your fall photo sessions is NOW!

We’ve made it into the ‘ber months and those dreamy autumn colors are closer than you think. In Chicago, the colors peak throughout the first and second week of October. I would LOVE to create something beautiful with you and your family at any of the locations above. I know “pumpkin patch” and “apple picking” are vague but I do have specific spots in mind 🙂‍↔️

All that being said, my autumn is jam packed already. I have time for 1 more session in September and 2 more in October. So let’s talk and get you on the books before they close for fall and re-open around holiday time! Comment “autumn” and I’ll reach out to you so we can start planning 🎃🧡🍂

Bonus family portrait from one of my shih tzu calendar sessions 💕 I will always encourage clients to get in front of the camera when we’re photographing their pets. Why not?! Your free roam rabbits are welcome too! 🤓

I started working on a shih tzu calendar this summer so I’ve been super busy meeting and photographing cool families and their pups! I’ll be posting pre-order info once I’m a little further along in the design process but hoping to have them all done before the holiday seasons roll around :)

This little guy is named Ruffles - He’s a rescue pup and has some other breeds in the mix as well! I put him in a January mockup just as an example when sharing his photos with his parents, but the backdrop is giving me old school chalk board vibes so maybe he’ll be the spokespup for back to school season 🤔 What do you think of as the “back to school” month - August or September?

Getting ready to kick off Pride Month with some themed portraiture events to celebrate a different group of the community in a blog series each week. First up: YOUTH! If you or someone you know might be a good fit, DM me!